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House passes HB 259, restoring parental access to minors’ medical records with narrow exceptions

Utah House of Representatives · February 19, 2026
AI-Generated Content: All content on this page was generated by AI to highlight key points from the meeting. For complete details and context, we recommend watching the full video. so we can fix them.

Summary

The House adopted the third substitute of HB 259, requiring health-care providers and record systems to ensure parents have access to children’s medical records in most circumstances; sponsors said it protects parental rights, opponents called it government overreach. The bill passed 61–11.

Representative Mike Peterson, sponsor of the third substitute to House Bill 259, told colleagues the measure is about “the sacred right of parents to direct the upbringing, education, and health care of their children.” The bill would require health-care providers and electronic medical-record systems to make minors’ records available to parents and limit current EHR practices that deny access in some cases.

Why it mattered: Peterson said the change responds to instances where parents report they lost timely access to records (he described a MyChart example) and would restore parental…

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